dcaufandomcom-20200222-history
Secret Origins
"Secret Origins" is the first season premiere for Justice League. It originally aired back-to-back as a movie event with no breaks. Subsequent broadcasts, as well as the first season DVD release, divided the movie in three-parter episode, according to its production code numbers. Plot Summary Part I Two years after an exploration accident on Mars, Superman had regained the majority of the world's trust after being used as Darkseid's pawn. While there were some lingering doubts regarding the Man of Steel's reliability, none put more faith in the hero than Senator J. Allen Carter, the surviving astronaut from the Mars expedition. Carter proposed world peace through weapons disarmament, and due to his iconic status as a symbol of Earth, Carter believed Superman to be the candidate for the job. He also believed that Superman (alone) would be capable of handling any threats to ever terrorize the Earth. Ever eager to bring the world closer to a state of peace, Superman heartedly embraced the idea, and began work immediately. There were skeptics, ranging from governmental and military figures to civilians and other heroes. The Flash, while aware of Superman's capabilities, had his own criticisms: "I'm the fastest man alive, and even I can't be in two places at once." Meanwhile, Batman, ever vigilant in his war on crime, investigated his own findings. Skeptical of the work occurring in a Wayne Tech Metropolis Substation, the Dark Knight infiltrated the building, discovering three scientists were not only conspirators, but were (at the very least) altogether inhuman. Engaging the scientists as they attempted to flee, Batman may have been outmatched, but Superman's arrival on the scene seemed to cement his victory. However, the Man of Steel suddenly suffered a massive psychic headache, rendering him useless. Batman rescued Superman as the building collapsed. As Superman worked to disarm the world's nuclear weapons, Batman continued his investigation. In a warehouse within Metropolis, he found the same three scientists leaving the facility; more importantly, he discovered containers (describable as little other than alien) holding the same three scientists. Attacked before he could investigate further, Batman was quickly outmatched and called Superman to the scene. The Man of Steel saved Batman, only in time to watch a meteor come crashing into the heart of Metropolis. From the wreckage, a massive alien creature appeared, and without hesitation made its intentions clear: conquest. Superman and Batman rushed to the scene, throwing everything they had at the creatures (as more had continued to arrive), but seemingly to no avail. While preparing to fight again, Superman suffered another psychic migraine; entranced, he flew off faster than a speeding bullet away from the scene. As the world panicked about both the newest alien invasion and the disappearance of Superman, Batman tracked the hero to a US Government base. Investigating further, the two discovered another alien being held prisoner there. Freeing him, the man introduced himself as J'onn J'onzz, but the newly-formed trio quickly found themselves under attack; the invading aliens had been acting as military personnel at the station for some time. Part II Outnumbered, the trio fled the scene, with their oppressors pursuing close behind. The escape was less than ideal. Though they'd managed to thin the Imperium ranks some, the trio was still outnumbered... but not for long. At a critical moment, the Green Lantern John Stewart, Hawkgirl, Diana of Themyscira, and the Flash arrived on the scene. The Imperium forces fought back, but they had lost; Earth's heroes had assembled. J'onn quickly explained the nature of the Imperium Invasion. The lone survivor of the invasion from Mars, he had fled to Earth to prevent a similar occurrence. Unfortunately, he was captured upon arrival, and had failed in his task. The heroes, however, would not abandon hope. The septet broke into three groups, each set on destroying the factories created on Earth: Superman and Hawkgirl headed to Metropolis, with The Flash and Green Lantern heading to a different locale (despite the Flash's protests). Batman, J'onn, and Diana headed to a different factory altogether. The heroes fought valiantly, but to no avail. The Flash and Green Lantern made a hasty retreat, while Superman and Hawkgirl were captured. J'onn, Batman, and Diana discovered a method to defeat the Imperium, but in the end only Diana and J'onn escaped. Part III The four remaining heroes regrouped at Metropolis, and prepared to free the captured Hawkgirl and Superman. While The Flash created a diversion, J'onn, Diana, and Green Lantern breached the facility. While keeping a relatively low profile, the heroes managed to subdue the few Imperium forces to cross their path (during this time, John, Diana, and the Flash learned more and more of J'onn J'onzz's capabilities). Thinking they had found Superman and Hawkgirl, the heroes had actually found a trap. Captured, Earth's last hope seemed to have failed. Reunited with their friends (albeit via captivity), the heroes were shocked to find the Imperium organizer to be none other than Senator Carter. The real J. Allen Carter had perished on Mars during the expedition. Using the persona to their advantage, the Imperium tricked the world into disarming themselves with an all-to-eager Superman. The Earth disarmed (and, at the time, J'onn J'onzz trapped), no obstacles remained to prevent their invasion. However, the Imperium did not count on the resilience of Batman. J'onn shielded his mind from detection (even during his own torture by the tentacles of the Imperium Leader), and Batman remained incognito until the moment he could strike. Revealing himself, he reversed the ion charge of the factory, thereby removing the cloudy barrier around the Earth and allowing sunlight to return (which Batman had deduced was their weakness). The weakness discovered, the heroes made quick work of the Imperium forces. The remainder of the invasion fled, and haven't been seen since. In the aftermath of the invasion, Batman built and activated a space station, set to orbit around the Earth to act as an early warning system, and thus dubbed The Watchtower. There, Superman proposed to the heroes of the invasion the formation of The Justice League. Each agreed (in his or her own way) that such a team was best for the world, and while Batman only agreed to participate part time, he iterated that he would be there when they needed help (and they would). Cast Trivia *This is the first DCAU appearance for four of the "original seven" Justice Leaguers: Wonder Woman, Hawkgirl, J'onn J'onzz, and Green Lantern John Stewart. *Mars exploration astronaut and later Senator "J. Allen Carter" is a small nod to fictional adventurer John Carter, Warlord of Mars, the hero of numerous stories written by Edgar Rice Burroughs. *Other tributes to classic science fiction directly reference War of the Worlds, long considered one of the classic science-fiction stories. In both Secret Origins and War of the Worlds, aliens attack from Mars using three-legged war machines that easily overwhelm Earth's military. There are also similarities to the Martian "black smoke" of War of the Worlds and the factories in Secret Origins which release chemicals into Earth's atmosphere to blot out the sun. The name of General Wells, introduced here, is also probably a reference to the name of the novel's author, H.G. Wells. The most obvious difference between the two sets of alien attackers is that unlike the novel, the Imperium are not native to Mars. Interestingly enough, several later adaptations of War of the Worlds have also presented attackers from Mars who are not actually native to that planet. Category:JL episodes